Enjoy an Old-Fashioned Christmas at the Wellington Inn in Traverse City

Step back in time for a turn-of-the-century glimpse into Christmas past at the Wellington Inn this Holiday season. Experience an old fashioned Christmas at this beautifully restored 1905 neoclassical mansion in Traverse City’s historic Boardman neighborhood.

New this year, holiday tours will be held on the three Sunday afternoons preceding Christmas: December 5th, 12th & 19th. Hours will be 2:00pm – 6:00pm.

Local designers have ‘decked the halls’ with a spectacular display of holiday designs and decorations. Following your tour of the entire mansion, enjoy complimentary holiday sweets and hot mulled cider in the third floor ballroom.

There’s nothing like strolling the streets of Downtown, popping in and out of shops while snowflakes drift to the ground. With Thanksgiving around the corner you know that Christmas shopping is next. Downtown Traverse City wants to make sure you enjoy the holidays, so they’re getting ready to kick-off the season with the Arrival of Santa on December 3rd, followed by special shopping nights for the Ladies and the ever popular Men’s Night. If you’re coming in from out-of-town consider a Shop-n-Stay package at local hotels including a $50 Downtown gift card! Here’s all the details you’ll need to throughly enjoy a local shopping experience in Downtown Traverse City.

Santa’s Arrival, Tree Lighting & Holiday Open HouseFriday, December 3
Downtown’s seasonal magic lights up on the first Friday in December with the excitement of Santa’s Arrival. Spend the evening with Santa and shopping throughout the unique shops in Downtown Traverse City. At 5 pm, shoppers will be serenaded with holiday music and can gather at the community trees at the corner of Cass and E. Front St. Attendees can join in a community sing-a-long of their favorite holiday carols accompanied by the Interlochen Arts Academy Chamber Choir. The excitement continues with Santa’s arrival in bright red antique fire engine! Santa will join the carols, receive the Key to the City from the Traverse City Mayor, Chris Bzdok and then light the tree at 6 pm, before spending the rest of the evening (6-8 p.m.) visiting with little ones at his holiday house at Cass and E. Front Street. While Santa is in his house, Horse & Carriage Rides from Abraham Carriage Service will be available at an affordable price until 8 pm.

Bringing a little bit of the islands to the blustery winter in Downtown Traverse City, the 21st Century Steel Band will be performing at the corner of Cass and E. Front from 6:15 – 9 pm. You won’t want to miss the amazing sounds that this troupe will bring to the north.

Share the spirit of the season with family and friends while merchants throughout the Downtown district host open houses and in-store specials. Participating stores will have extended evening hours and offer store specials, free gift wrapping, food, refreshments and more!

Ladies’ NightThursday, December 9
Downtown Traverse City will be hosting Ladies Night, Thursday, December 9 from 5 to 9 pm. Visit participating stores for specials, refreshments, prize drawings, free gift wrapping and more! Caroling throughout the evening with the Sweet Adelines.

Men’s Night DowntownThursday, December 16
Gentlemen, the evening is yours, finally! Celebrate and shop with friends during Men’s Night Downtown on Thursday, December 16. The gents can enjoy hors d’oeuvres and specials at many restaurants and merchants will be offering in-store specials, gift wrapping and drawings. Caroling throughout the evening with the Sweet Adelines.

Downtown Holiday Lights
Downtown Traverse City shines during the holiday season due to Traverse City Light & Power. A special thank you goes out to Traverse City Light & Power for making possible the purchase of over 133,000 new LED lights in 2008. Traverse City Light & Power begins installation of the lights in early November. The process of installing lights on over 300 trees in Downtown Traverse City takes about three weeks.

Shop Downtown and Win!
Spend $200 in Downtown Traverse City between December 1-10, 2010 and enter to win a $250 Downtown Shopping Spree. It’s easy to enter. Visit the Downtown Office no later than December 13, 2010, show your receipts totaling $200 in purchases between December 1-10, 2010 and enter to win. The drawing will take place on Tuesday, December 14, 2010. And don’t forget to keep your dollars local this holiday shopping season, Downtown Gift Certificates Make the Perfect Gift!

Holiday Hotel Packages-Stay in TC and Shop Downtown
Make reservations at one of the following hotels for December 3 & 4, 2010 and you will receive a $50 Downtown Gift Certificate at check-in for your holiday shopping needs during the annual Santa’s Arrival and Holiday Open House.

A big thank you goes out to the Traverse City Elks Club Volunteer Committee for providing renovations to Santa’s House for the 2010 season. Improvements included, new paint, carpet doors and repairs to the roof and siding. The committee donated all of their time, expertise, supplies and equipment.

Parking – Free and Easy!
The price is right for downtown parking this holiday season. Parking is free at the Larry C. Hardy and Old Town Parking Decks after 5 pm, Monday through Friday and all day on Saturday and Sunday.

Downtown Holidays are hosted by the over 200 merchants, restaurants and businesses who are members of the Downtown Traverse City Association. Please contact the Downtown Traverse City Association at 922-2050 or e-mail colleen@downtowntc.com for further information.

Downtown Traverse City will continue to give back to the community on Saturday, November 13, 2010 during Shop Your Community Day. For every purchase made at participating stores, 15% of the sale will be donated to the registered organization of the customer’s choice! It’s that easy to support your favorite non-profit, and get a jump start on holiday shopping.

Downtown Traverse City has always put charitable donations high on the priority list. Donations including goods, services and sponsorship of events benefit the local community all year long. According to the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies website, “A modest change in consumer behavior – a mere 10 percent shift in market share to independent businesses from chain stores – would result in 1,600 new jobs, $53 million in wages, and a $137 million economic impact to the area.” When making local purchases, the business keeps three times more dollars in our community, supports and strengthens local jobs and preserves and enhances our unique neighborhoods, parks and public services here in Traverse City. The “The health of our economy is based upon the support of local shops and businesses. Imagine if everyone chose to shop local for the holiday season, a truly tremendous impact would be made, “ says Brian Kluzak, DTCA President.

Support your favorite organization and your local economy on Saturday, November 13, 2010 just by shopping Downtown. Look for the shopping bags with balloons to signify participating stores. Following is a list of participating Downtown merchants and non-profit organizations.

Shop Your Community Day is sponsored by the over 200 merchants, restaurants and businesses who are members of the Downtown Traverse City Association. Please contact the Downtown Traverse City Association at 922-2050 or e-mail colleen@downtowntc.com for further information.

Daylight Savings Clean Up and Green Up, a free community-wide recycle, repurpose and reuse event put on by Michigan Green Consortium, will be held from 10am until 3pm on Sunday, November 7, 2010 on Parking Lot B in downtown Traverse City. The event encourages residents to use the hour gained from the time change to participate, personally, in helping to preserve the environment.

The list of items that will be accepted is broad-ranged from #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 and #7 plastics to wine bottles and pumpkins; from bubble wrap to wrought iron; from lawn mower and edgers to Styrofoam and plastic grocery bags. More than a dozen businesses will be on-site accepting a variety of difficult-to-recycle items. For a comprehensive list of what is acceptable and the sponsor partner that will accept it, please consult our event website, www.cleanupgreenup.com.

The Michigan Green Consortium, established in 2008, is a non-profit organization of member companies, all businesses with sustainability as a core initiative, either as a product or service offered, or as their corporate culture. Its mission is to develop, expand and grow the Michigan economy through encouraging the development of and promoting growth for green and sustainable business.

To learn out more about Michigan Green Consortium and their Daylight Savings Clean Up and Green Up event, visit the event website at www.cleanupgreenup.com or Michigan Green Consortium’s website at www.mgconline.org, or call (231) 947-1688.